At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 571: Building a Global Order

April 34, 4th year of the Han calendar, Guanzhong, Chang'an City
Zhang Pijiang arranged the envoys from various countries in Daqinzhou that he brought with him to the Dianke Mansion.

Xu Fan attached great importance to the situation in the Parthian region and called in Prime Minister Li Shang, Acting Prime Minister Yang Xiong, Zheng Qu, Military General Peng Yue, Military Supervisor Ji Xin, and Regent Crown Prince Xu Aimin to discuss the matter.

Zhang Pijiang focused on the current politics, culture, and ethnic relations within the Xiongnu Kingdom, indicating that the Xiongnu Kingdom's political system, organizational strength, and cultural system were the most advanced in the Mesopotamian region. Through the power of Confucianism, the Xiongnu people formed a strong fighting force among multiple ethnic groups in the entire region.

After listening to Zhang Pijiang's words, Xu Fan felt a little amused. The Analects was used by the Xiongnu people, and Confucius took the work of the Prophet Muhammad. But let's not say that from Zhang Pijiang's words, the Analects is really suitable for the current Xiongnu country, greatly improving the cohesion, organization and combat effectiveness of the Xiongnu country. Originally a chaotic slave region, it was really integrated into a feudal society by the Analects, and it was a feudal society with an industrial military system. Isn't this the Han version of Mao Zedong?

Zhou Yafu focused on the organization, combat effectiveness, weapons and equipment, military industrial strength, number of troops, etc. of the Xiongnu army to explain the military strength of the Xiongnu Kingdom.

Based on Zhou Yafu's firearms tactics used in the war against the Xiongnu to annex the Parthian Empire, Xu Fan roughly estimated that the Xiongnu's development and use of firearms was roughly at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. No wonder they easily defeated the Parthian Empire, which was still in the Iron Age. Now that the Han army has been updated and its weapons are roughly at the level before World War I, the Han can suppress the Xiongnu.

"Your Majesty, Parthia is already the dominant country in the Mesopotamian region. If it weren't for the Huns, its national strength would still be on the rise. The Seleucid Empire behind Parthia has already passed its heyday. Now this country is internally corrupt and its combat effectiveness is not as good as Parthia. Another relatively large country is Ptolemy, but this country is ruled by a tyrant and its national strength is not even as good as Seleucid. This country has always been a vassal of a powerful country.

Then there are a group of small countries, which have only a few cities and a population ranging from hundreds of thousands to several million. Their combat effectiveness is not worth mentioning and they are vassals of regional powers. This area is a bit like the Spring and Autumn Period of our Han Dynasty, with many small countries. In order to protect themselves, these small countries switched between Qin and Chu and followed the lead of the big countries.

The only country with relatively strong combat power is the Roman State in the middle of the Mediterranean. More than a decade ago, they fought for hegemony with another powerful country, Carthage, and were able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops. Their military strength should not be underestimated. They have the Senate, which is equivalent to the Sages of our Han Dynasty and is the power institution of Rome. They have consuls, which are equivalent to the combination of the emperor and the prime minister of our Han Dynasty, but they are subject to the Senate. The consuls have a term and cannot be re-elected indefinitely. They have tribunes, which are equivalent to the imperial censors of our Han Dynasty and can monitor Roman officials.

The country uses a citizen system. Citizens who own land and wealth are citizens and have the right to participate in politics, join the army, and serve as officials. Hundreds of thousands of citizens are the foundation of the Roman rule. Decades ago, Rome and Carthage fought a war. Because Carthage had a famous general Hannibal, Rome was defeated repeatedly. However, relying on the strong citizen system, the Romans recruited hundreds of thousands of troops and finally defeated Carthage and made it their vassal state. The country's system is relatively clear, with little internal friction and strong organization. It can fight the Huns, but the prerequisite is that we, the Han people, support their muskets and help them build a military industrial system. "

Everyone present was a little surprised. The system established by the Roman Empire was quite similar to that of the Han Dynasty. Especially its citizen system and the equal-field system of the Han Dynasty. Although they could not be said to be exactly the same, they were almost the same.

Li Shang frowned and said, "According to what you said, Rome also has great potential. They are still local indigenous people and have more people's support than the Huns. The court supports the Romans. If they really defeat the Huns, then Rome will become a new hidden danger for our Han Dynasty, and it will be difficult for the court to influence Rome."

Li Shang was an old man who had experienced the Warring States Period. Others might treat various alliances as stories, but he was an individual who had experienced them. There were not many powerful countries in the Warring States Period, and whoever was strong would be attacked by all. The Qin Dynasty was able to recover its strength because of its geographical advantage in Guanzhong, otherwise it would not have been so easy to unify the world.

In Li Shang's opinion, if dealing with the Huns would allow a foreign country to grow stronger, then it would be better to allow the Huns to grow stronger, after all, they are one of his own people.

Zhou Yafu said: "Looking around the world, the only region that can truly affect the hegemony of our Han Dynasty is the line from the two rivers to the Mediterranean Sea, and this is exactly the region where our Han Dynasty's power and influence are the weakest. Just like this time, the court has clearly stated that it does not allow the Xiongnu to annex the Parthian Empire, but Laoshang Chanyu did not listen, and the court has no way to punish them.

In the future, the Seleucids and Romans will grow stronger, but the imperial court will still be unable to stop them. This situation is extremely dangerous. If the Daqinzhou area is unified, with the population and civilization here, it can create a hegemonic country that is not inferior to our Han Dynasty. "

The top leaders of the Han Dynasty looked at the densely packed small countries along the Mediterranean coast. The only big powers were Rome, Seleucus and Ptolemy. Without knowing the history, they could only use the history of the Han Dynasty to introduce the history of this region.

Since the First Emperor could unify the six kingdoms, who dares to say that there won't be a country like the First Emperor in this area? At least without knowing foreign history, Li Shang and his people thought that the unification of the world was inevitable. The Mediterranean and the Mesopotamian region had a population of 3000-4000 million, with vast land and abundant resources. A great empire spanning three continents was enough to compete with the Han Dynasty for global domination.

Even Xu Fan, who knew history, was afraid of the powerful countries in this area. Unlike the people who were full of fog, Xu Fan knew that the final winner of Daqinzhou was Rome. In the next 100 years, they established an empire around the Mediterranean. Then this empire, like the Han Dynasty, decayed without enemies and finally declined, falling into the dark Middle Ages for a thousand years.

But the Han civilization was not much better. It also had 400 years of darkness during the Five Dynasties and Sixteen Kingdoms period, before it prospered again during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Then came the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, during which there was also a 400-year period of foreign rule. If you really add up the total, it's hard to say whether it was better or worse than the Middle Ages. At least it rebounded during the Age of Discovery and has prospered until now.

Although dispersion is the norm in this world, and even later only the Chinese civilization retained the history of great unification, it happened that during this period, the empires of various countries began to unify their regions to a greater or lesser extent. Now that the Han Dynasty has a growing influence on the outside world, who knows whether other regional powers will learn from the Han Dynasty and also begin the history of great unification.

After all, island countries like Japan have been influenced by Chinese civilization and have also become a land power. Now that the world is connected as a whole, the influence of the Han Dynasty will become even greater, and perhaps the grand unified system will become a global trend in the future.

While everyone was thinking, Zhou Yafu pointed at the land of Ptolemy with a baton and said: "If the court wants to have an influence on Daqinzhou and even control the rise and fall of regional powers, it must establish the Yanzhou Governor's Office here.

The Ptolemaic Empire was in decline, and its king, Ptolemy VI, was still a child. The power of the country was in the hands of the king's mother. The Ptolemaic Empire was in a period of doubt between the ruler and the ministers, and faced powerful enemies like the Huns. I think they are willing to submit to the protection of the Han Dynasty, and then the court will establish a governor's office here and station 3 troops. With this elite force, the court can unite with the local weak countries to form a coalition and attack the strong countries, so that this area will remain fragmented and there will be no regional powers that will affect the Han Dynasty. "

Peng Yue looked at the map and said, "According to the current situation in the two rivers, it is better for the court to support the Seleucid Empire. First, this country has a large population and strong power. Second, the Seleucid Empire is under the attack of the Xiongnu and they are in urgent need of the court's help."

Zhou Yafu said: "It is because Seleucus is so powerful that they are not willing to listen to the Han Dynasty. On the contrary, it is the Ptolemaic Kingdom, which was ruled by Seleucus decades ago. They have the tradition of being a small country and are willing to listen to the Han Dynasty."

"Moreover," Zhou Yafu pointed to the delta near the Mediterranean Sea and said, "This area has fertile land and abundant resources. The annual grain production is as high as 10 million dan, which can feed the entire Mediterranean countries. Controlling this grain is like controlling the lifeline of the Qin Continent and the powerful countries in the Mesopotamian Basin."

Zhou Yafu continued pointing to an area and said, "Another important factor is that this place is the core of the three continents' transportation. Daqinzhou, Shenzhou, and Yanzhou meet here. If we dig a canal here, our warships can smoothly reach the Mediterranean line, and even caravans don't need to go around Yanzhou to reach the west of Daqinzhou, saving tens of thousands of miles of sea routes."

After listening to Zhou Yafu's explanation, the Ptolemaic State is indeed a key point in the Han Dynasty's global strategy and a place that the Han Dynasty must control.

Ji Xin nodded and said, "If that is the case, Ptolemy is naturally suitable to become our Han's ally in Daqinzhou. I think that in order to prevent the Xiongnu from becoming stronger, the court should establish the Yanzhou Governor's Office."

Peng Yue also said: "I also agree to establish the Yanzhou Governor's Office."

Prime Minister Li Shang, Acting Prime Minister Yang Xiong, and Zheng Qu did not object. So Xu Fan asked Peng Yue and Ji Xin, "Who do you think is more suitable to be the governor of Yanzhou?"

Peng Yue said: "Captain Lu Yi, Jiang Bin is an experienced veteran and can be the governor of Yanzhou."

Ji Xin also said: "The current governor of Northern Yinzhou is Li Yu, and the General of the Central Army Ding He can be the governor of Yanzhou."

Xu Fan thought for a moment and said, "Appoint General Ding He as the governor of Yanzhou and Lü Yi as the deputy general. Let them establish the Yanzhou Governor's Office and tell them that their most important task is to dig a canal connecting the Mediterranean."

Xu Fan understood the importance of this canal better than they did. In later generations, it had been a strategic hotspot for hundreds of years, and any hegemonic power would want to control it.

"promise!"

Xu Fan thought for a moment and said, "Now that our Han Dynasty has discovered more and more civilizations and countries, the original feudal system is no longer able to handle the conflicts among countries. Our Han Dynasty should establish a more inclusive system to serve our needs of ruling the world, so that big countries cannot suppress small countries, let alone wantonly annex the territories of small countries."

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. There are countries in this world that are more powerful than the Han Dynasty. Is Your Majesty trying to warn them?
Xu Fan found that they had not yet reacted, and said unhappily: "I want to promote the feudal system of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the world. Only my Han Dynasty has the right to teach other countries a lesson. As for other countries like the Xiongnu, Rome, and Seleucid Empire, even if there are conflicts, they should be handed over to my Han Dynasty to deal with, instead of being like the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, where rituals and music collapsed, big countries wantonly annexed small countries, and strong countries oppressed weak countries together. Those small and weak countries, even if they are oppressed, they know who to ask for help. My Han Dynasty is a well-deserved global hegemon. Establishing a civilized, orderly and friendly system in the world is the clear destiny given to my Han Dynasty by God."

Through Zhou Yafu's explanation, Xu Fan found that the current world situation is most conducive to the Han Dynasty's global domination. The Roman Empire surrounding the Mediterranean has not yet been formed, and there are still many small countries around it to resist the invasion of Rome. The Seleucid Empire declined, but its national strength is still strong. The Ptolemaic Dynasty is a dead bone in the tomb, but its country is rich and populous. There are many small countries in Greece. But isn't this what the Han Dynasty hopes to happen? These small countries are the most natural allies of the Han Dynasty, and they also most urgently need the protection of the Han Dynasty.

The Han Dynasty should not only consider how to suppress the Huns, but should suppress any country that has the potential to become a hegemon.

In order to become the overlord of the world, land area and population are the most important factors. If Rome only had a small half of the Mediterranean and could not unify the entire Mediterranean region, they would never be able to establish their hegemony. The same is true for the Mesopotamian region. If they cannot form a unified regime, then the Arab Empire that could compete with the Tang Dynasty in history would never have been formed.

Now the Han Dynasty has almost occupied half of the world's territory. For the Han Dynasty, the current order is the best order. The Han Dynasty wants to establish a system similar to that of later generations. Even if a war breaks out, it will be difficult to annex territory. Then it will be difficult for a country to threaten the hegemony of the Han Dynasty to emerge in the world.

It was only at this time that Li Shang and others realized that His Majesty was no longer satisfied with being the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, but wanted to be the Emperor of the entire world.

And when they thought about it carefully, they realized that this system was most beneficial to the Han Dynasty.

But Peng Yue said: "The foreign races value power but not virtue. If we do not show our strong military force, I am afraid it will be difficult for them to submit to us. Even if they do submit reluctantly, they will continue to make small moves."

Xu Fan smiled and said, "The court just needs someone to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. Han Xin, the Duke of Mobei, has already begun to organize an army to march west. When the court teaches the Xiongnu a lesson, these countries in the Mediterranean will naturally understand the strength of our Han Dynasty and will not do anything futile."

Peng Yue and others saluted with admiration and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Let's talk about two things. While Xu Fan and his team were studying how to control the rise of the Huns, the nobles from Rome and other countries who came to Chang'an City learned that there were a large number of libraries in Chang'an City where they could learn about the history of this powerful empire. They also came to the Chang'an Library to learn about the history of the Han Dynasty.

After they learned about the history of the founding of the Han Dynasty, it was like reading a myth. It turned out that the current emperor of the Han Dynasty relied on an uprising of 800 criminals and then overthrew the Qin Empire with an army of one million.

When seeing this, many Greek scholars almost jumped up and shouted, "Is it okay for you Han people to make up stories like this?"

The powerful Seleucid Empire lost only 10,000 elite soldiers in the battle for hegemony over the Mediterranean with the Qin Dynasty. The overlord of the eastern Mediterranean declined from then on. The same was true for Rome in the western Mediterranean. They fought the great warrior Hannibal three times and were defeated three times. In the worst defeat, 30,000 people died. Almost everyone in Rome was in mourning, and it took the whole country's army to drive Hannibal away.

In this great war that shocked the Mediterranean, the Romans suffered only about 5 casualties in total, but it also seriously damaged the Romans. Although they defeated Carthage later on, they were unable to annex them.

In the history books of the Han Dynasty, there are often armies of hundreds of thousands, and an army of 60 appears as many as twice. Many of the countries among these envoys had a population of less than 60.

Apatius said, "The population of the Han capital alone exceeds 130 million, and there are 60 men here. We have seen three cities with a population of over one million along the way. Is it really difficult for such a powerful Han to recruit 100 troops? Don't forget that the Han has a compulsory military service system. Anyone who accepts 60 acres of land from the Han is obliged to serve in the military. The fields we have seen along the way, let alone troops, can also recruit a million troops."

Apatius' Rome had recruited more than 300 troops when the population was only 60 million, so he could understand that the Han Dynasty had the military strength to recruit troops. He had been impressed by the strength of the Han Dynasty along the way.

But he immediately said proudly: "The Han people also have citizens who join the army to defend their country. They also have the Council of Sages, which is very similar to our Roman system. Countries with a republican system can all be strong."

Antiochus cursed, "You Romans are so shameless. The Han Dynasty is clearly an imperial country. The Han emperor who created this great country is as great as Alexander the Great. This is a victory for the imperial system. The Han Dynasty is also strong because of the imperial system."

At this time, most of the countries in the Mediterranean area were imperial states, with only Rome, Carthage and Greece being a minority. However, these countries were at loggerheads with each other, and the small countries around Greece did not like the shameless senators of Rome.

Of course, the prosperity of the Han Dynasty made these people envious. But when they discovered that the Han Dynasty was prosperous now because the Han Emperor killed all the noble officials of the previous Qin Empire when he founded the country, and the Han court implemented a strict equal-field system, distributing land to the people of the Han Dynasty in portions of 100 acres, this seemed a bit too terrifying.

(End of this chapter)